Backstabbing Up in Down Economy

The economic downturn turns some co-workers against one another.

Office politics on the rise in a down economy.
(Flickr user Kai Henry (cc: by))

Incivility in the workplace is an unfortunate side effect of the recession, where jobs are scarce and everyone is aiming to hold on to whatever work they have. Takeaway contributor Beth Kobliner says there are ways to stay in-the-know without being a gossip at work. We also talk with Will Marcum, a former GM plant worker of 20 years in Pontiach, Mich., to hear about his story of office politics during the economic downturn.

"Nine times out of 10, politics – not the best person – is going to be promoted. And this, I think, is what's killing America and killing the workforce right now." —Will Marcum, former GM plant worker in Pontiac, Mich., on why politics should not play a role in workers getting promoted